Beginners Guide to Computer Assisted Trading

This book by Peter Alexander will provide valuable insight, information, advice and guidance to the new or aspiring trader in either stocks or commodities. The author is knowledgeable and well qualified to offer such guidance, being an experienced stock and currency trader, and a long-time developer of financial software.The title strikes me as misleading. Although substantial coverage is devoted to issues relevant to trading by computer, the book also covers many other topics which the new trader will find to be helpful as well. A more apt title might have been The Complete Guide to Issues of Concern to the New Trader.Important issues covered include commission costs, liquidity, volatility, markets (and exchanges) to avoid, the relative pros and cons of daytrading versus position trading, money management, technical analysis and basic trading system design.Since the book was written in 1997 it does not cover the current trends in online trading or the newest financial websites.The author's style of writing is free flowing, interesting, and easy to understand. His colorful phrases and metaphors are, in places, reminiscent of Elder's Trading for a Living. I recommend the book to new traders looking for guidance and useful information in the subject areas covered.